Electrical timing device



July' 1 1924.

G. A. SAFSTROM ELECTRICAL TIMING DEVICE Patented July l, 1924.

UNITED STATES GUS'IAF A. SAFSTROM,

Application Elea August 21, 1922. serial No. 583,262.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAF A. SArsTRoM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Timing Devices, ofwhich the following isa speer cation.

My invention relates to electrical timing devices for use moreparticularly in connection with internal combustion engines to time theignition of the charges in the cylinders. f

My object generally stated is to provide a novel, simple, economical,durableand positively-operating construction of device of the characterabove stated.y More specifically stated, my objects are to reduce thenumber of binding posts required to .be provided on the device; toprovide in a timer of the spring type a novel form of sprin andarrangement of vparts whereby the life of the spring will be greatlyextended and will remain operative to perform its function over arelatively long period of time; to provide for the use of a light springand effect a quick breaking of the circuit therethrough; and otherobjects as will be manifest from'the following description.

Referring tothe accompanying drawing: Figurey l is a front-view of theradiatorequipped portion of a Ford automobile, with a portion of theradiator broken away and equipped with an electrical timing deviceconstructed in accordance with my invention, the latterbeing shown inside elevation. Figure 2 -is a longitudinal sectional view -of thedevice taken at the irregular line 2`2 on Fig. 3 and viewed in thedirection of the arrows. Figure 3 is a top view of the device,-with thecover removed; and Figure 4, a section 4taken at the line 4 on Fig. 3and viewed in the direction of the arrow, the centralv portion ofthedevice being shown in elevation and certain of the internal partsbeing omitted.

Since I have vdevised my improvements 4for usey more particularly vinFord automobiles, I have-illustrated it in this con- .'nection and `asembodied in a structure Y'adaptedto be substituted for the timercommonly rovided as a part of the equipment VAof ,Fordicars andproviding for the location ELECTRICAL TIMING DEVICE.

the car as to render it readily accessible, though I do not wish to beunderstood 'as intending to limit the invention in any way thereto.

Referring to the particular construction shown, itr involves a casingsection 5 having journaled vtherein to extend tangentially thereof, ashaft 6y which is equipped at its lower end. with a spiral gear 7 rigidthereon and adapted to mesh with a timing gear 8 mounted on thecam-shaft which forms a part of the standard equipment of a Fordautomobile, the casing section-just referred to being substituted forthe timer commonly provided as a ypart of the standard equipment of thecar; an upper hollow circular cup-shaped member 9 constituting the mainportion of the timing device shell and having a depending'spl-it tubularextension 5al with a clamping bolt 5b, and a tube 10 surrounding theshaft 6 and clamped at its upper end in the extension 5a, the tubek 10and member 9 being rotatable on the casing section 5 and relative to theshaft 6, and the tube 10 being provided withy an arm 11 adapted to beconnected with any suitable mechanism, of which therod l2 is a part, foradapting the tube 10, together with the member 9, and the electricalcontacts hereinafter described, and carried thereby, to be bodilyrotated. under thecontrol of the operator, relative to the shaft 6 andcontact-actuating member hereinafter described and carried bythe upperend of this shaft, to advance or retard the spark controlled through thedevice. The tube 10 and member 9 are held against unward displacement onthe shaft 6 by the contact-actuating member above referred to whichforms a stop overlapping the member 9. The structure just described isheld in position on the car as through the medium of the arms 13 and 14secured to the front end of the engine and bearing againstthe casing 5.and the bracket structure v1,5.-secured,'at 16, to the ,front of theengine andhaving a sleeve portion 17 in which the tube 10 is journaled.The arrangement is such, as shown, that the device is caused to extendupwardly at an angle from the timingV gear 8 and in such position as torender the contacts of vthe device read,- ily accessible forinspectionor repair.

'The particular. timing device shown is provided forcontrolling theproduction of'igniltion sparks'l,in a, 4-cylinder engine, yand is'of thevtype involving relatively movable contact memberscerftain of' which arein the form of springs successively moved relative to the contactscooperating therewith, by en gag/ement with a rotatable cam member. Thestationary contacts of the timing device, of

' which four are provided in the construction shown, as above stated,are represented at 18,

, 19, and 21, and in the particular arrangement shown constitute thethreaded rod portionsl of binding posts represented kati22,` 23, 2'4 and25, these 'bindingposts extending through a circular side wall 26 of thecasing member 9 and being arranged equidistantly, with* adjacent onesfof these .binding posts Y:extending at right anglesto each other.. thestationary contact-forming portions" of. the

binding posts extending into the interior of the casing 9 as shown.. Theportions of the asfor example steel, each bent between itsendspreferably into the form shown in the drawingsto provide theangularly-disposed portions 32 and 33,\these spring members being thuscurved lengthwise thereof. The spring contacts referred to me secured inposition on the casing 9` at their angularlydisposed portions 32, whichareapertured as indicated. at 34, through Which apertures the lrodportions kof the binding posts referred to extend,A these apertures`being. of .considerably larger diameter than ther lsaid rod portions.The rod portions of the binding post pass through insulating bushingsinthe vwall26 and carry insulating4 washers36 and 37 againstwhich nuts38 and 39 aresCrewed to hold the binding posts and 'the' spring contactmembers referred to firmly in positionon the casing.v shell 9. Themtterendsv of the rod portions `of the binding posts carry the Ausualknurled nuts 40 for yclarnp'ing to these posts the terminalsleading tothe spark plugs of the several cylinders of .jtheengine, in accordancewith commonpractice.y The inner faces of thebosses againstv which theportions 32 ofthe spring contacts bear, are recessed, as representediat41, toafford the horizontal seating surfacesv 42 for'itheends 32 of the.spring bt) contactsfand the vertical end walls 43 for thei"adjacentlendl ,edges o f the portions 32, these recesses -being yso ,positionedrelative to the' Tapertures ,in the-",wall t 261' through which.thefbindingposts ,referred toextend, that whenthespring contact membersare positioned in the recesses 41, as shown dotted lines in Fig. 4 andbyrfull lines-ini` Figs. 2 and`3, to seat upon the ledges 42 and againstthe vertical surfaces 43, the walls of the openings 34- in therspringcontact members will be out of contact with the rods of the binding`posts and thus these spring members will be insulated from the bindingposts, the latter being insulated' from the casing 9, by

reason of the constructionA stated. The free' ends of the springcontacts28, 29,- Land 31 cooperate withstop pins 44, 45, ,46 and 47which rise from the bottom plate 48l ofthe casing 9, these stop pins'being arranged a slight distance beyond the stationary con-lsemi-circular opening 50 in its periphery,

anda second disk 51 of inverted cup shape adapted to telescope with thedisk 49 and containing a roller 52 of insulating material journaled onthe disk 51 through the vmedium of the screw 53` andy extendi-ngtintothel groove 50 of the disk 49, this roller extending laterallyrbeyondthe periphery ofthe disk 51 and in the `plane.of the variousspringcontact members described. .The device just referred toconstitutes` in'effect a cam, and the parts are so. constructed andarranged, as sho-wn, that the spring contact members remain at all timesout of engagement withthe'respectiv'e cooperating sta# tionary contactsof the device, and bear against the respective stop pins referred tounder v`,the spring action. of the spring contact members, except .when.the rollerpportion 52 ofvr the .actuating .member rolls against thesespring lcontacts'. as shown of the contact 28 in Fig.` 3, in ,which casethe rolle-r 52 flexes the spring contact with which it engages,outwardly, and vinto en` gagement with. its cooperating stationarycontact, beingV understood thatV` these spring contact members are thusoperatedlin succession to close thefcircuitjbetween them and theirVrespective stationary contacts.

.In theparticular arrangement shown all of the spring contact membersarein electrical contact Withthe casing 9, by reason of being clampedagainst the latter,.,as stated, and thus in the installing ofthe devicewith an internal combustion engine, would constitute the groundedportionof the timer.

It willV be understoodfrom theforegoing t that vby 'constructing thetimer in accordance with. my invention it.i is necessarygthat yonly asmany binding' posts" be proyided-.as .1730

correspond with i the number of" the "Y cylinders of the engine. Thus inthe arrangement shown only four of the binding posts, corresponding withthe four cylinders of the engine with which the device is to be,

used, are provided on the device.

The provision of the spring contact members as metal strips curvedlengthwise thereof to afford the angularly-disposed portions, is ofgreat advantage as the life of the spring is thereby greatly augmented.It may be stated in this connection that- I prefer to make the springcontacts referred to of relatively thin gage spring metal, and so formthem that when assembled with the other parts as shown and described,these spring contacts will bear against the stop pins 44, 45, 46 and 4Trespectively, under spring tension, in which position they are out ofengagement with the respective stationary contacts, and furthermore soproportion the parts that these spring contact members except whenengaged by the roller device 52, as state-d, will be out of contact withthe disk 49. Thus the springs are only subjected to such wear as mayoccur by the rolling friction of the roller 52 against it, asdistinguished from the relative-ly great wear which occurs in thoseconstructions wherein the rotary spring-contact-operating member rubsagainst these spring contact members continuously.

The casing 9 is, in the particular arrangement shown, provided with aremovable and replaceable cover section 54 adapted to be held in placeby a pressure arm 55 pivoted at- 56 on a lug 57 formed as a part of thecasing 9 adapted to bear under its spring action against the center ofthe cover 54 as shown in Fig. 2.

It may be further stated that it is desirable in timing devices that thespring contact members be made of light metal, and it is also desirablethat a quick break be provided for between the spring contact member andthe stationary contact with which it cooperates, these two featuresbeing combined in my improved construction inasmuch as the springcontact members bear normally, under their spring action, against thestops in which position they are out of engagement with the cooperatingstationary contacts.

While I have illustrated and described a particular Vconstructionembodying my invention, I do not wish to be understood as intending tolimit it thereto as the same may be variously modified and alteredwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an electrical device, the combination of a support, a springcontact member, and a binding post forming al contact securing saidmember to said support and insulated from said member.

2. In an electrical device, the combination of a support, a springcontact member, and a binding post forming a contact securing saidmember to said support and insulated from said member, said supportbeing recessed to receive said member, with its walls so disposed as toposition said member on said support out. of contact with said post.

3. In an electrical device, the combination of a support, a springcontact member containing an aperture, and a binding post forming acontact extending through said aperture and securing said member to saidsupport and insulated from said member.

4. In an electrical device, the combination of a support, a plurality ofspring contact members, a series of binding posts forming a series ofcontacts for engagement, respectively, by said spring contact memberssecuring said members to said support and insulated from said members,each of said members opposing, for engagement therewith, the bindingpost of the next adjacent spring contact member, and means for actuatingsaid spring contact members in succession. ,y

5. In an electrical device, the combination of a support, a plurality ofresilient contact members in the form of spring strips curved lengthwisethereof and each presenting angularly-disposed portions, said membersbeing arranged in a circular series, a series of binding posts forminga' series of stationary contacts for engagement, respectively, by saidresilient contact members securing said members to said support, eachkat one of its angularly-disposed portions and insulated therefrom, eachof said members opposing, for engagement therewith, a contact post ofthe next adjacent resilient contact member, said resilient membersextending under their spring action out of engagement with saidstationary contacts, a rotary member having a projection for actuatingsaid resilient members, and stops against which said resilient membersbear in normal position, said resilient members in normal position beingunder tension and out of engagement with said rotary member.

GUSTAF A. SAFSTROM.

